by slimboyfat 86 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
no-zombie - I appreciate/LUV your prognostications (and others) re/the sect's collapse! It's hard to imagine and I'm reluctant to get too excited.
JW Gonebad - they've had one great run at opportunity and hope that window is closing. Good to hear JWs are enjoying freedom of speech and PIMO -- must be interesting observing. Enjoy the updates and hope the positives continue. "Dropping like flies" -- fantastic.
If the dropped flies/debts are piling up they can't hold off long throwing out more treats to the lock steppers/social members.
An ex-JW who runs a business near where I live has for many years called the Org. "The Social Club", he has long recognised that the majority of J.W's are only still in it for social reasons.
Now they have much more personal freedom,and can question each other, and discuss their doubts, no doubt more flies will drop.
When the G.B realises this is happening, and new converts are almost non-existent, they will HAVE to make some more moves !
If the dropped flies/debts are piling up they can't hold off long throwing out more treats to the lock steppers/social members. ~ LV101
Does anyone think that these new changes/adjustments did anything to increase contributions?
I just do not see it being any motivation for kicking in a few more bucks.
If I understand it all correctly, WT just kinda set an expectation of contributions from each Cong to be $10/pub/mo. which really is not all that much. I know of a couple single JW's each contributing $100/mo who really cannot afford to be doing that, but they do it (and feel guilty they are not giving more) and they do without other things. I don't see where beards & slacks will be any kind of incentive to increase the contribution. Thoughts?
JMO
Doc
It may be more about retaining existing Contributors of $$$ than a way of of gaining more $$$.
But getting more in $$$ flowing in remains something they will obviously have to address, and soon !
If they are dependent on contributions, then the more people they retain and attract, the larger the pool of potential contributors. Times are changing and they are being forced to change along with them.
Of course, the other part (and perhaps the more important one right now) is that they're looking to change or remove anything that gives governments a reason to restrict them somehow. Especially if it involves not giving them money, as in Norway. Or changing policies that are costing them via court cases and lawsuits and bad press.
First, stop the bleeding. Then, build the base of paying customers. I mean loyal witnesses.
Like many churches that consist of baby boomers now dying off, Watchtower is probably financially secure on the basis of financial legacies of property owning boomers for the foreseeable future.
I know of a number of churches that are running out of people but have enough money through legacies to continue catering to very low numbers of attenders - like ten or fewer worshippers on a Sunday - and can afford to employ a minister and maintain a large building. Many churches are struggling and closing too, for financial reasons, but they are often down to a handful of attenders before they give up.
That might me true slimboyfat but I'd wager to say that those other churches are just maintaining buildings, Where as the Organization, now has a massive IT network to support plus their video production plans. And when the boomers die off, they will find themselves more financially squeezed than other faiths.
Yup -- I agree, SLB. If they were in serious trouble they'd be doing a lot more than allowing stubble and women option of wearing pantsuits -- what options.
no-zombie -- valid points but thus far they've not offered much to adherents. Most likely they're relying on the brainwashing to hold majority inside.
